it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
– New Testament, Matthew 19:24
We can interpret these pointers in a myriad of ways, and when we do, we usually make them fit our existing views on life and reality.
I do that too. I tend to take this one as complementing this pointer:
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
– New Testament, Matthew 18:3
If we are rich in deep-seated assumptions and beliefs about what we are, it’s not easy to enter the metaphorical kingdom of God. We need to find the place in us that’s receptive and innocent as a little child to enter that kingdom.
What is the kingdom of God?
For me, it’s noticing that all is the divine, and that what’s seeing and hearing and sensing here is the divine.
Said another way, it’s to find ourselves as capacity for the world. My world happens within and as what I am. My true nature is this awake space full of the world.
How do we enter it?
To notice what we are, we need to temporarily set aside our assumptions of what we are, find receptivity and innocence, and be honest with ourselves about what we find. We need to become like a child. We need to set aside the riches we have in our world of ideas and assumptions.
How do we become like a child?
It can seem almost impossible to do this. How do I set aside my assumptions about what I am and reality?
For me, one answer is practical pointers, and the best ones I have found so far are the Big Mind process and Headless experiments. These can help us become like a child and notice what we are.
It’s very helpful to be guided by someone familiar with the terrain and skilled in using the pointers. This is helpful in the beginning and also at times later on in the process to help clarify and look more closely.
These practical pointers are like training wheels helping us notice what’s already here.
The kingdom of heaven makes us like children
Entering the kingdom in this way also tends to make us like children.
Of course, we still have whatever maturity, development, experiences, and skills we as adults have.
At the same time, the kingdom of heaven invites us to be childlike.
It opens us up to live more from receptivity, curiosity, awe, and a heart open to the world.